qwerty51
Stirling Mortlock (74)
The notion that a Test is tight and hotly contested at the start and loose and open at the end is a myth, it's actually the other way around.
Go watch the England Test year. The adventure and linebreaks are at the start of the game, the most metres are made then. The breakdown isn't contested that heavily and teams are not conservative because of the scoreline. Near the end of Tests games become grinds with tight play as teams shut down defending leads. The intensity increases and the breakdown is more contested.
This is why I'd start Hooper and Gill off the bench but I wouldn't be taking Hooper off either.
Go watch the England Test year. The adventure and linebreaks are at the start of the game, the most metres are made then. The breakdown isn't contested that heavily and teams are not conservative because of the scoreline. Near the end of Tests games become grinds with tight play as teams shut down defending leads. The intensity increases and the breakdown is more contested.
This is why I'd start Hooper and Gill off the bench but I wouldn't be taking Hooper off either.